Jesse Scheckner
Miami Beach Commissioner Laura Dominguez is proud of the work she’s done as an elected official over the past two years, and she has no intention of stopping.
Dominguez just filed to run for re-election to the Commission’s Group 2 seat. She’s the first — and, so far, only — candidate in the contest.
“Serving as your Commissioner has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Dominguez said in a statement.
“Since taking office, I have worked to make our city safer, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs of our residents. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and now, I’m running for re-election to continue the progress we’ve made together.”
Dominguez, a 53-year-old Democrat, won a race to finish the elected term of her late partner, Mark Samuelian, on the seven-seat City Commission in 2022. She has since led initiatives to convert transient properties into residential spaces, advance resiliency efforts and worked to eliminate wasteful government spending.
Her campaign website lists nearly 60 accomplishments, including her sponsorship of measures to roll back alcohol sales in certain parts of the city to 2 a.m., expand a noise-reduction and environmental pollution ban, back LGBTQ initiatives and revise local code enforcement to reduce the cost of compliance.
She is Chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee, where she’s focused on reducing crime, expanding police resources and ramping up law enforcement efforts during peak tourism seasons.
Her other community involvements include serving as a Board member of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and the local chapter of the World Affairs Council.
A Cuban American born in Miami-Dade County, Dominguez worked in management for a quarter-century in the cruise and travel industry before launching a media and marketing company, LD Digital Strategies, in July 2020.
Before her election to the City Commission, she served on several condo and homeowner association boards.
“Miami Beach deserves elected leaders who listen, take action, and deliver real results,” she said in a post that Miami’s Community News published Thursday. “I am running a grassroots campaign because I believe in a city where residents come first, where families feel safe, businesses can thrive, and our community continues to flourish.”
Dominguez is one of four Miami Beach candidates the city’s chapter of the Democratic Party is backing this year. Others include Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez for Mayor, Commissioner Alex Fernandez and Miami Design Preservation League Executive Director Daniel Ciraldo, who is running to succeed Rosen Gonzalez in the Group 1 seat.
As of Thursday afternoon, Dominguez and Ciraldo are the only ones of that group who are officially running, city Clerk records show.
Ciraldo, a Democrat, faces two Republican opponents: lawyer and media personality Monroe Mann and former Miami Beach Black Affairs Advisory Committee member Luidgi Mary.
No-party candidate Victor Rosario, an entrepreneur and rideshare driver, was the only candidate listed as running for Mayor, a job now held by Steven Meiner, a past City Commissioner who switched from Republican to no party in 2018.
The Miami Beach General Election is on Nov. 4.
